Sixteen teams are gathering in the US for the first women’s World Cup of the new century. Page 13
“Sometimes you get it from chicken. Sometimes you get it from coffee.” Page 14
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26 2003
CN11-0120
NO. 123
A series of events commemorating Beijing’s 850th anniversary as capital of China were officially launched last Saturday. Beijing Today joins the celebration by dedicating four pages to the events. Page 9 – 12
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Treaties Target Crime By Jerry Ho fforts in China to fight corruption received a boost recently with the announcement of two measures by the United Nations aimed at tackling organized crime and corruption. The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes, signed by more than 140 countries, takes effect as of September 29. On the same day, a UN committee is to finalize the text of an Anti-Corruption Treaty and submit it for approval by the General Assembly. China signed the Convention
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Against Transnational Organized Crimes on December 12, 2000, and the National People’s Congress (NPC) officially approved it on August 27 this year. The convention is aimed at closing the major loopholes that allow organized crime to flourish and block international efforts to combat it. Speaking at the release of the first draft in August 2000, executive director of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) Pino Arlacchi, said “We can now affirm that the tide is turning on cross-border crime.” In the three years following
the release of the first draft, with increasing international alarm at the growing power of criminal groups and their involvement in new areas of crime, participating countries have ironed out their differences and the draft has finally boiled down to the first legally binding UN instrument in the area of crime. Under the terms of the convention, countries would commit themselves to criminalizing participation in an organized criminal group, money laundering, corruption and obstruction of justice, as well as to eliminating “safe havens,” protecting witness-
Anti-hijack Rehearsal at Capital Airport By Gao Bin / Hou Mingxin A Boeing 747 was “hijacked” and all passengers were taken hostage by three “terrorists” at Beijing Capital Airport yesterday. An anti-hijack team stormed the cabin, shooting one of the “terrorists” and capturing the other two. All the passengers were rescued. The “hijack” was actually an anti-hijack rehearsal, sponsored by a national
leading group in charge of handling such incidents. It was the first such action since the establishment of the group, and the largest ever of its kind held at the Capital Airport. The purpose of the rehearsal was to test relevant departments’ reaction abilities when faced with such a scenario. About 350 people from Beijing’s Public Security, Health and Fire-fighting
bureaus, as well as Capital Airport and China Xinhua Airlines participated. Photo by Zhang Peng / Geng Zhengjin
es and facilitating the investigation and prosecution of cases involving more than one country. The convention’s significance in fighting cross-border corruption, specifically money laundering and availability of safe havens, is strengthened by the UN’s Anti-corruption Treaty, the rules of which are described by Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, as “conditions for good governance and rule of law and are in turn foundations of financial stability and sustainable development.” The two pacts, branding many forms of corruption as criminal
acts and requiring ratifying na- improve our own laws so they tions to take joint preventative better accord with the treaty, measures, are expected to en- and crack down on transnational courage international coopera- crimes in a more effective way.” tion in battling corrupt acts and A Xinhua news report in early help governments extradite or 2001 said that more than 4,000 prosecute fleeing corrupt officials people, mostly government offiand recover money they have si- cials and embezzlement and bribphoned off. ery suspects, have fled overseas, By signing and approving the taking with them more than 5 two documents, China is commit- billion yuan of public money. ted to hunt down corrupt officials, An un-named anti-corruption terrorists, drug dealinvestigator revealed ers and money launthat while such peoy signing dering criminals who ple were in the past have fled to other mostly directors or and countries. managers of stateapproving In a TV interview, owned enterprises or Sun Li, deputy chief- the two commercial banks, in prosecutor of the years, more documents, China recent Beijing Procuratorate and more corrupt who participated in is committed to government officials the UN negotiations hunt down have also fled the on the treaty, stated country, taking with that the convention in- corrupt officials, them embezzled or carnates a multilater- terrorists, drug otherwise illegally acal cooperative among quired funds. all signatory coun- dealers and Sun Li said the tries. This cooperative money laundering fleeing corruption suswill prevent and batpects fell into three tle organized crime, criminals who categories, according including corruption, have fled to other to their choice of reffor which legal cooperuge; Europe or Amercountries. ation, assistance and ica, Asia and Africa. extradition is clearly The choice generally stipulated. reflected what sort of “If an effective cooperation living standard they could afford. is successively established, hard Chen Manxiong and Chen Qidays would come for those flee- uyuan, a married couple and ing corrupt suspects,” said Sun, former heads of state-owned “most importantly, a system or Guangdong Zhongshan Induspattern would be set up under the trial Development, transferred treaty in which one country is en- 420 million yuan from a bank titled to acquire documents, com- through a confederate to their mercial or governmental, from own company. They escaped to other countries to help investi- Thailand before the investigation gate corruption cases.” started and changed their names Wang Yingfan, chairman of and passports. Chen Manxiong the National People’s Congress even had cosmetic surgery and Foreign Affairs Committee, de- bleached his skin. They opened scribed the treaty as “more rig- several companies under their orous than Chinese criminal law false names and bought luxury as far as stipulations for convic- villas and limousines. tion of criminal acts and definiThe need for an international tion of corruption are concerned. treaty has arisen from the dif“Apart from bribery with cash,” ficulties different countries enhe stressed, “acceptance of im- counter when trying to apprehend proper benefits other than in ma- such criminals. “It is hard to deterial form is also defined as termine their actual whereabouts corruption.” in the first place. Even though we NPC delegate Shen Chunyao might know the country they fled also pointed out that under Chi- to, it is difficult to pin down their na’s current criminal law, only exact location,” said Professor Liu drug dealing, organized crime, Tingji, international law specialterrorism and smuggling are as- ist at the China University of Polsociated with money laundering, itics and Law. but the new UN treaty gives a “Secondly, it is not easy to bring much wider scope that includes them back for trial once they corruption. are found. By the end of 2002, Sun Li stated, “The treaty is a only 18 countries had signed bishock to them,” when asked about lateral extradition treaty with its impact on those suspected of China, such as Mongolia, Russia corruption who have fled to for- and Laos. But criminals usually eign countries. “Their situation choose countries that have no exwill become much harder. They tradition treaty with China as are already living a life in fear their safe havens,” Liu said. as fugitives in a strange place. Liu stressed that multilateral And now with the treaty in effect, cooperation is essential, as such all participating countries are problems have posed a common obliged to take measures to pur- challenge for many countries in sue their crimes, so their dooms- their attempts to crack down day is imminent and they will not on corruption, which becomes get away with it anymore.” an international threat once the The treaty also calls for each criminal has crossed the border. contracting country to extend the “Within the framework of the period under which crimes cov- new treaties, China should try to ered by the treaty can be pros- establish extradition agreements ecuted, especially when suspects with as many countries as possitry to evade due punishment. ble and call for international asSuch legislative measures are ex- sistance, such as from Interpol, pected to prove helpful in terms when necessary.” of tracking down suspects and bringing them to trial. NPC standEXECUTIVE EDITOR: JIAN RONG ing committee member Yang GuoEDITOR: HOU MINGXIN liang commented, “We need to DESIGNER: LI SHI
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